Financial Times FT.com

Early data shows a drop in US default rate

By Nicole Bullock in New York

Published: October 5 2009 20:28 | Last updated: October 5 2009 20:28

The default rate for speculative-grade companies in the US fell for the first time this year in September due to more benign credit markets and signs of economic recovery, preliminary data from Standard & Poor’s show.

S&P’s trailing 12-month default rate, which measures the number of companies with ratings below investment grade that defaulted, came in at an estimated 9.36 per cent for September.

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